Historic Downtown Montrose (Colorado)
Mystery On Main Street Series
by
W. C. "Bill" Porter
Summer 2003

During the summer of 2003, Historic Montrose Downtown (HMD), along with the Montrose Area Merchant's Association and, a majority of the retailers who conduct business in the downtown Montrose, Colorado business district. Once again went all out to give local residents and visitors a great summer to remember. Each Thursday night during the summer months, HMD et al put on what is known as: Main Street In Motion. Where artists and musicians can be found on street corners all along Main Street. Retail shops stay open late giving tourists and locals a chance to shop and stay familiar with who and what is available in the downtown area of Montrose, Colorado.

This year, HMD's Main In Motion also included a highly talented group of actors and actresses from our local theatre guild. Which conducted a summer-long traveling (up and down Main Street) play, if-you-will. A murder mystery set in the 1930s. Appropriately named Mystery on Main. The ongoing play - and the players who greeted and entertained folks along Main Street each Thursday night, would divulge certain clues revolving around the mystery they were portraying. So that someone with slueth-like abilities might successfully guess the answer to: Who killed the judge?

Midnight Thinkings (along with The Olathe Poste), also a resident business along Montrose' Main Street, gleefully enjoyed each Thursday night's activities and, of course, relished each week's visits by the Main Street players. As one might also guess, it was a "no brainer" that The Olathe Poste commemorate such fine, compassionate acting. By capturing all of the Mystery On Main players on film and subsequently, immortalize them on genuine, commemorative faux postage stamps. Honored, rightfully, in full philatelic fashion with First Day Cover envelopes of each stamp issued.

Most of the First Day Covers were mailed to the honored players of that week's stamp issue. A few other FDCs were sent to other mail artists or local friends who might have been on hand during the weekly photo shoots, etc.

It should be noted that, for the finale of HMD's 2003 Mystery on Main, there was a successful resident that correctly identified the guilty party in the murder mystery. The super-sleuth not only received The Olathe Poste's HMD #7 FDC for his efforts but, he also cashed in on a prize of about $2500 in cash and goodies.

The Olathe Poste thoroughly enjoyed the entire project and our postal hat's are off to those fine folks who made it all possible!